Tool Tech is a very new shop on Harrogate Road...I'm not sure what was there before but the owners…read morehave very recently bought it. Lined up outside the shop are three lawn mowers and a cement mixer. They all appear used and I think they are for rent. Inside they sell a range of D.I.Y. and gardening equipment including the usual range of tools, screws and nails, garden hoses, lawn strimmers, wallpaper steamers, high-vis jackets...and so on - so it basically covers most of the tools and accessories you'd need for D.I.Y. in the home, garden or on a patio or driveway. As the shop is so new and they are still ordering things in, so don't yet have their full range of stock, it's difficult to give them a truly representative review, but they seem to cater for a wide range of D.I.Y. projects at reasonable prices and the staff seem knowledgeable and helpful.

I was initially dragged into this shop against my will by my boyfriend. Yes I am a stereotypical…read morefemale who has little interest in hammers, angle grinders or lawn mowers. But even I was impressed by the amount of DIY and gardening equipment for sale in this small outlet. Most things are available here including high-vis jackets and screws. Outside and in the window are numerous large pieces of machinery. I recognised the lawn mower but couldn't say with certainty what the others are for. If you're into tools, I'd say check it out. But be wary of doing DIY on a bank holiday - statistically its the most dangerous day (haha).

J.J.'s Junction's wares spill out onto the pavement - plastic chairs, bins, buckets, baby baths,…read morelaundry baskets, and my absolute favourite: rolls of plastic table cloth material with a variety of brilliant designs including shiny gold or silver floral, a coral reef, pasta and some very pretty vintage-style lace patterns...Amazing! If I'd had any money on me I shudder to think how much of this tacky/kitsch gloriousness I would've bought I must say I simply can't imagine how they manage to get all that stuff inside every evening! Inside the shop is full to the brim with such a mad range of bits and bobs it's pretty hard to pin it down. There's loads of crockery, some of which I rather love decorated with cutesy floral patterns and just about every little useful item you could have in your house! One thing that stood out for me was an absolutely GIANT charming retro-look thermos flask. I wanted it but couldn't think what for. It would probably hold a good few gallons! How very odd! Along with supplying all the bits of homely stuff you never knew you needed but probably do, they also do a key cutting service. Yay!

This shop always used to grab my attention whenever I walked past due to its endearing 'Walk In'…read moresign posted above the doorway, as if the owner lived in perpetual fear that someone might one day confuse his shop for a drive-in DIY store. As far as I know, that hasn't happened yet, but it did mean that this establishment was the first to spring to my mind when I found myself in need of somewhere nearby to purchase a padlock, so perhaps it wasn't an entirely wasted effort. One of those stores that sells just about everything you need and a lot of stuff you don't, JJ's is cheap, cheerful and exactly what you want from such an establishment. While I went in for a padlock, the bright displays and cheap prices meant I very nearly came out with a box of fireworks and children's paddling pool too, so try and stick to your guns unless you want a house full of tat. The staff are pretty helpful too, although it might take a while to catch their eye - the place was heaving when I visited, and it was only a Wednesday morning.

It's a bit of a cliché to say it, but this place really is an Aladdin's Cave of useful knickknacks…read more Well, it would be if Aladdin was a fan of doorknobs, staple guns and tins of paint, anyway. The owner here is one of the nicest men ever, and will always help you find what you need even if you're being a bit thick and not entirely sure yourself... I speak from experience! Prices are really competitive, much cheaper than the DIY stores in town and on a par with chain store prices, and I've never known anyone to need anything they didn't have somewhere on their shelves. Be prepared to ask though - the layout of the shop is chaotic to say the least.

This place truly saved my bacon back when I lived in Hyde Park. I think they've cornered their…read moremarket and chosen well, they are situated right in the centre of studentville - where better to be with tons of people year in and year out moving house? I needed hardware supplies, badly. I wanted to put up pictures, paint my walls, put up some shelves - generally overhaul my room to make it mine. So my Mum and I trotted five minutes down the road to this place and had a browse. Initially we were B&Q bound but I wanted to get on with things immediately so persuaded her to pop here instead. It was totally the right choice! The staff were excellent and friendly and helped us find exactly what we needed, without any of the usual patronising back chat we've received from other places for being women doing DIY. Brilliant. Everything was cheaper than B&Q, which is pretty great too - closer, better service and cheaper prices! I managed to purchase everything I needed well under budget. Couldn't be happier with my shopping experience! Awesome.

With my new penchant for gardening, which thus far has included watching my friends dig up my…read moreborders for a good few hours whilst I watched and picked out a few weeds, I decided to make a brief trip to Homebase for inspiration before doing a bit of a shop at the gargantuan Tesco on Roundhay Road. (Yes, it is rather amusing that I've not exactly been an active part in the tidying of my own garden, but in fairness said friends were incredibly keen to take on the project - and who am I to stand in the way of green fingered aficionados?!) So, keen and rather green at the gardening game I wandered in with basket, not trolley - that would be asking for trouble and expenditure, I took a mosy around. It's of a reasonable size, is this Homebase, but certainly not a gardening haven. It's a mishmash of many household things, a touch bizarrely laid out with double beds centrally spread next to BBQs and garden-related items bordering them, but to truly find the plants and flowers one must walk right to the other end. Lawn mowers, strimmers, whiskey barrels, plant pots of all sizes, weed killer, lawn seed and all the usual suspects lay within. In terms of the actual plants (and indeed anything relating to plants and gardens) the majority have Jamie Oliver's simpering visage plastered over them -it seems there literally isn't anything that you can't obtain without his mark of approval. It's a bit weird. His face is ruddy everywhere, to the point where it feels a touch stalky. Maybe that's just me... In any case, it was a useful enough visit for ideas. However, the majority of the plants, of which there wasn't a great deal of choice, looked a little sorry for themselves and the prices verge on outrageous most of the time. Annoyingly I purchased lawn seed on my visit - the cheapest of which being about £8 - and found in the Tesco just next door it was as little as £4. Unless it has something you can't just pop next door for it's none too good. There were a few deals on, which marginally made the visit more pleasant, but I think I'll seek out somewhere more dedicated when I become a fully fledged home gardener! Until then, I now have seeds to tend. Yippee!

Conveniently located next door to Tesco, this is a pretty hefty if bewildering Homebase. I came…read morehere a couple of weeks ago to pick up some compost and pots for our indoor pepper and tomato plants and whilst I managed to find everything I needed, it took me about twenty minutes to do so - there just didn't seem to be anyone to ask for help, other than on the tills, and I was stuck in the gardening bit outside and frankly couldn't be bothered to walk all the way back there to ask for a hand. Anyway, it does the job fine. All the usual DIY stuff, tidy enough, just a bit confusing in its layout. Or maybe I'm a bit slow.

Meanwood branch. I went in today with my elderly mother. As she walked through the door she…read moretripped. Rather than asking if she was alright, the owner asked her if she'd enjoyed her trip. This is the last time I will go into this store. On previous visits I have left the shop due to the owner's horrible attitude. I would just like to add that the other staff working there are all nice and polite but not the older man who, due to his arrogance, I believe is the owner. Rather than shopping locally, I will go to Wilko's in future for a better, and more polite, shopping experience.

I've had 4 encounters with this store. The first time I went in trying to buy a powerful electric…read moredrill and screwdriver. I'd never heard of the brand on offer, and the advice given to me suggested they didn't really know whether or not their device would be appropriate for the task I had in hand. They really just left me to read the box. So much for local shops offering a better service than reading a description on Amazon. Fail number 1. I ended up buying from Amazon - a trusted brand and it has worked very well indeed. The second time I was wanting to buy a hasp lock for a cupboard to make it secure. I've never had any experience with this type of lock, took photos of my cupboard and thought I'd give this local business my support by asking them to help me. I chose the lock myself and then asked them about a padlock for it. I made sure that I had a conversation with the staff about my situation and showed them the lock and padlock I was planning to use. They said they would be fine. After all that, the lock fitted but the padlock didn't fit. So, I had to go back to the store for a third time to tell them. They tried to sell me a key-based padlock (I had made it clear that I didn't want to be messing around with keys and wanted a combination lock). They were out of stock of the next size up, so I agreed to come back a week later when they had more. I returned a week later for a fourth time. By now the trips into town were getting tiresome and I wished I'd just ordered online and had the thing delivered, hassle-free. Anyway, I paid an extra pound to exchange my padlock for the next size up. The quality of the padlock is atrocious. The wheels don't turn properly, and you often have to press the lock down in a weird way, in order to reach the opening combination. Four visits. Time wasted. Very unsatisfactory outcome. In future I'll go to Argos. At least you can get a good quality, branded item. Or if I don't mind waiting then I'll order it from Amazon.

Machine Mart is huuuuge, and I guess it needs to be for the vast range of products, some of which…read moreare pretty big themselves! It is a power tools specialist and sells all tools big and powerful for home D.I.Y., gardening and workshop tinkering. They sell heaters and ventilation equipment for sheds, workshops or garages. They also sell cleaning equipment, decorating gear, engines and motors, stoves and fireplaces, welders, woodworking tools, hand tools, protective clothing and footwear, plumbing stuff...the list goes on...will it ever end? The staff at Machine Mart are very helpful and knowledgeable - which is pretty essential if you have any hope of navigating the long aisles and huge range of products on display! If you're undertaking a D.I.Y. construction project, painting your house, getting keen with your gardening or tinkering with your motor, you will find all the gear you need and more at Machine Mart!

Hello I recently visited your leeds store for some parts for my vacuum pump, and to buy a…read morecompressor for my assembly line. It was the first time I have been in your store and was so impressed with the customer service from a member of your staff that I'm sat here writing to congratulate the effort he put in the making my experience one which I won't forget. He started off buy greeting me with a smile and helping me get the parts for the pump I required and even fitted the part to the pump for me. Then when looking for the correct compressor which was out of stock, but had just been delivered went into stores and fished it out for me even delivered it to my car after paying. I love great customer service and this man exeled himself and I will highly recommend people in the future. I'm not sure if he was the manager his name on the recipet was andy.a, he obviously knows his job well as he knew every problem I threw at him and solved it in great detail. Thanks for a great service and see you again in the future.

I don't know why but I love little DIY shops like this. As you walk in you can't help gawping…read morearound at all the bits and pieces for a good few minutes before you remember why you are there. There is not an inch of free wall space here. The walls and beams across the ceiling are carpeted in little packets of useful things. It is neat though, and very easy to navigate around. The man behind the counter looks exactlt like you would imagine a DIY shop owner to look like in Yorkshire. In his checkered shirt and big smile he looks very much in his element. He will be able to tell you exactly what you need to solve all sorts of household hiccups. They sell things like nails, tape measures, bleach, painting equipment, pet products, bins, kitchen ware, gardening goods, and electrical bits and bobs. If you have just moved to Leeds and are near Burley Road it would be a good idea to pop past if you need anything for the finishing touches to your new pile of bricks.

This charmingly retro-looking D.I.Y. shop spills its wares out onto the pavement inviting you to…read moreweave among them and examine the products on offer, including brooms, mops, buckets and plants. St. Anns D.I.Y. is quite small but well-stocked - every available space is packed full of D.I.Y. essentials. There is also a pet food section and a wide range of plant pots of different shapes and sizes. They also cut keys, which can become an essential service for the many student houses of Leeds what with 5+ bunches of keys flying about bound to get lost on a wild night out. The bloke behind the counter was very helpful on my last visit...so if you're at all clueless when it comes to rawl plugs and drill bits then you can rest assured you'll be pointed in the right direction.